5 Success Secrets from the USA's Best Player in Brazil

In soccer there are no 30-second timeouts, no checking your wristband for the next play. The strongest guys on the field make calculations on the fly, and they do it while sucking wind; many outcomes aren't decided until the final minutes of a 90-minute match. Michael Bradley knows all this, and when the U.S. team opens its World Cup tonight (6 p.m. ET) against Ghana, he'll be ready to battle for his national team.

The 6'2", 175-pound midfielder often sees more ball touches than any other player on the stars-and-stripes squad. He runs about 7 miles every game, often at high intensity—and yet, according to the sports data company Opta, he maintains an astonishing passing accuracy rate of 84 percent. Like a linebacker, he's strong in the tackle. Like a quarterback, he makes strategic decisions on where and when to pass the ball. And for his ability to balance these roles, his fans call him the General.

A game this spring against Mexico showed the 26-year-old's skills: Bradley, lasering long passes down the wing. Bradley, cutting up the defense with pinball-quick flicks. Bradley, dribbling in a holding pattern and warding off opponents as his teammates scramble to find space. He thundered in one goal on a half volley, headed the assist on another, and earned high praise from Mexico's coach, Miguel Herrera, who said afterward that "Bradley looked like the best player in the world."

It's no wonder that Toronto FC—the Major League Soccer team Bradley plays for—recently signed him on for six years at $40 million. The General dictates the play and controls the game. Use his winning strategies to control your game too.

1. Sweat the Small StuffBradley had an advantage: His dad was a soccer coach, first at Princeton and later with MLS and for the U.S. national team. Even as a toddler he would tag along to practices, and that's when he began developing tactical skills. "The small things add up to big things," says ESPN soccer analyst Alexi Lalas. For instance, it's one thing to make an accurate pass but another to spin the ball in a way that puts the receiving player in a better position to attack, says Lalas.

PRO MOVEBuild solid core skills, and you'll jump ahead of one-trick hotshots, says Bruce Tulgan, author of It's OK to Be the Boss. 'Once you nail down the basics, you'll earn more responsibility."

2. Create a Feedback LoopAt 18, Bradley joined a team in the Netherlands. His career was blasting off, but he continued to seek advice. He not only listened to his coaches but also reviewed game footage with his dad, scrutinizing every touch, tackle, and pass so he could see his on-field potential. "In any profession, you need a determination that says, 'This is what I'm about, and this is where I want to go. And I'm not going to let anything stop me,'" he says.

PRO MOVE"Seek at least two mentors, one inside the company and one outside, who can offer unvarnished feedback," says Jay Turk, a management consultant with the Hay Group.

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3. Embrace the MomentEarly in Bradley's career, his favorite player was Manchester United strongman Roy Keane. "I'm inspired by the guys who leave their heart and soul on the field," he says. And by the time he left the Netherlands to join an elite team in Germany, he had become one of those guys. "Even when the game seems out of reach, you need the grit to believe you can pull it out," he says. "You focus on the next tackle, the next pass, the next shot."

PRO MOVEBradley had a role model, and you should too, says Tulgan. So steal a page from business school and do informal case studies on the successful people you work with.

4. Develop a Flexible Skill SetIn 2012 Bradley transferred to AS Roma. "The Italian league is very tactical. It's almost like playing a chess match," says Jurgen Klinsmann, the U.S. team coach. Then, this year, he moved again, this time to Toronto. Many considered it a step backward, because MLS is a less competitive league. But Bradley took on a bigger role, leading Toronto's midfield and alternating between the defensive anchor and a marauding attacker.

PRO MOVEBecome a big fish by looking for smaller teams or markets to build on, says Tulgan. "You're not relegating yourself to the small-time—you can grow the size of your pond."

5. Dictate the PaceInternational soccer is quick, so composure will be critical in Brazil. But Bradley's game has evolved. "Now Michael can process the game faster," Lalas says. And with tactical decisions—by keeping possession with a safe pass rather than risking it with an aggressive play, say—he's helping his mates win by changing the game instead of reacting to it. "Michael is part of the spine of our team," Klinsmann says. "He can impose his will on a game."

PRO MOVEGreat leaders maintain a team mentality. "Understand what everyone brings to the table," says Turk. "Then pass to the right person at exactly the right time."

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